


You're My Home

by clokcwork_dragon



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, OR IS IT, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clokcwork_dragon/pseuds/clokcwork_dragon
Summary: [commission for @tomaarrie on twitter]Mercedes deals with some feelings she believes to be unrequited, and decides that the best time to come clear about them is during a trip to Duscur.
Relationships: Mercedes von Martritz/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	You're My Home

The seasons pass, and summer arrives.

Dimitri is crowned king; he rules Faerghus justly, with kindness and love for every single one of his subjects. There is peace, and the people tend to their fields and their animals, attend festivals to honour the Goddess and the Saints, and sing hearty songs as they gather their corps and prepare for the first peaceful winter in five years.

Mercedes works as an appointed High Healer in Fhirdiad. She is close to Annette, who works as a teacher at the School of Sorcery, and Dedue, who is Dimitri’s personal knight-protector. The four of them see each other a lot, and sometimes Sylvain and Felix and Ingrid will visit, and even Ashe and Byleth (although the more time that passes, the more the latter seems to fade into the background, appearing less and less, writing few letters from her home in Zanado). Regardless, Mercedes likes those gatherings; it is almost as if they’ve travelled back in time, returning to the hopeful years before their world went straight to hell.

But it is mending, she keeps telling herself. Their world is mending, and so are they. They are all different people now, but they carry their scars with pride, and the bonds between them are stronger than ever.

She doesn’t want to disturb this newfound peace and rhythm in their lives, which is why she waits a bit longer until she decides to travel to Duscur, and ask Dedue to go with her.

Dedue seems taken aback; surely no one in their right mind would wish to visit the ruins of a traitorous people, is what he tells her. But Mercedes shakes her head and insists that she had always wanted to see his homeland. And what better opportunity for him to return to his roots, than with a trusted friend by his side?

Of course, her motives had been slightly less selfless than that. Certainly, she wanted to see Duscur, and make Dedue realise that he should not feel ashamed, nor he should turn his back on the land of his birth. But she had also had time to think and reach a few conclusions. She would have to talk to him about it, and she figured that a week on the road with each other would be a good moment to come clear.

She still wasn’t sure how to do so, honestly. How do you tell a man that has devoted his whole life to his King, that you’re in love with him? Surely that would only be a hindrance to him, having him choose between her and his duty. Besides, if Mercedes knew anything about love, she would wager Dedue would only choose to be with Dimitri. Not necessarily in the romantic sense, but duty was duty, and Dedue’s resolve was known to be unwavering.

She had struggled with these feelings for so long. Shortly before the war had ended, and then afterwards, when her friends started settling down. Dimitri had married Marianne von Edmund of the Alliance. Sylvain and Ingrid had ran off into the proverbial sunset together, and Felix married Bernadetta von Varley. Ashe hadn’t married, but he and Lysithea von Ordelia would often visit each other, and it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

Mercedes didn’t have any delusions about her situation. She knew that with her father and with her Crest, there was little chance for her to marry out of love. She would likely be auctioned off to some rich man or other that her father would choose, and that would be it. All she could hope for was that they’d come to love each other after marriage. Not too bright a perspective, but she supposed there was always worse.

Even so. As selfish as it was of her, she wanted to at least have a chance to confess those newfound feelings. Let them never be married, if the Goddess decided it so. But she didn’t wish to part with the world without having known what loving someone felt like. Without knowing what making your own choices, living your own life, felt like.

If only for a day, she would like to dream.

And so she arranged the trip to Duscur. Dedue eventually agreed to accompany her, although it took a bit of persuading on her part, and a degree of collaboration with Dimitri behind closed doors. Dimitri must have realised what was going on, because he readily agreed to help, and even summoned Felix to take care of Dedue’s duties while the latter was gone. Mercedes had never before wanted to hug a king so fervently.

So as the first days of autumn carried a cool breeze across Faerghus, the healer and the knight set off.

* * *

The further north they travelled, the colder the nights became. They slept on the same tent, but they took care to never touch each other in their sleep. It was a little awkward, but certainly nowhere near as bad as what they’d gone through during the war.

The first couple of days, Mercedes tried to postpone the talk for as long as possible. Dedue mostly kept silent, but he looked appreciatively whenever she pointed at a rare flower, or told him ghost stories -trying, and failing, to unnerve him- or asked him to stop for a while so she could get off her horse and admire the scenery.

But after the third day, she realised she’d probably have to come clean with it, if she wanted this to be resolved before they arrived at their destination).

(She tried not to think about how awkward the confession would make the rest of the trip).

The fourth night was strangely cold. The sky was covered by heavy clouds and the air smelled of coming snow. They had tied up their horses, pitched their tent, and were now laying inside of it, somewhat colder than what they’d expected. Mercedes snuggled as deep inside her furs as possible, but still she could feel the tips of her fingers going numb.

“…Dedue?” She asked softly after a while. She knew by how quiet his breath was that he was not asleep yet. Indeed, he hummed gently in response.

“Yes?” He whispered. He’d never been emotional or warm, per se, but he had always treated everyone so gently. Quite endearing, really. One of the things that had made her fall in love with him.

“I...” _Well, it’s now or never._

“I have something that I wish to tell you.”

In the darkness of the tent, she heard Dedue turn around to face her. The smouldering embers of their campfire allowed too little light for her to be able to see his face clearly.

“What is it? Do you wish to turn back?”

She smiled softly. “No, of course not. This is wonderful. The trip, I mean. I’m having lots of fun.”

“Then what is it?” He sounded mildly confused this time, as if he could not conceive another possible reason that she would like to talk to him. Quite frankly it wounded her, after all of the time they’d spent together. But she couldn’t blame him. She supposed she’d feel little different, had their roles been reversed.

“…Have you ever fallen in love?” That was likely a silly thing to say, but Annette wasn’t there to offer romantic advice, and she had no other plans about how to test the waters. Dedue hummed in surprise, but when he answered he didn’t sound offended.

“Why does it matter?” He wondered aloud, and Mercedes couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. How adorable.

“Call it morbid curiosity.” She teased, and he huffed through his nose in what was the closest she’d seen him come to laughing.

“Suppose that I have.” He answered eventually. “But I do not expect them to reciprocate. We lead very different lives, and we are very different people.”

 _Strange_ , Mercedes thought. Who could he be referring to? Byleth, perhaps? She was fairly certain the whole class had had a crush on Byleth at some point or other. Yet somehow Byleth didn’t strike her as someone Dedue would be massively interested in. Or would he? He was always so closed-off about his emotions, it was hard to tell.

“Have you?” His question pulled her out of her speculations, and she was glad that it was dark, and that he couldn’t see her blushing. Of course he’d ask the same of her.

“I believe I have, yes. And I would like for the subject of my affection to be made aware of it.”

“Oh?” Dedue’s tone hid a tiny bit of curiosity in it- and something else, that Mercedes couldn’t quite place, but that felt entirely unfamiliar to the man. “Would it be indiscreet of me to ask about their name? Perhaps we can think of a way in which you can tell them, when we get back home?”

Oh, the irony. Mercedes would have laughed, had she not felt like her heart would leap out of her chest at any moment. Ridiculous, really, having such foolish and childish aspirations at her age and with her knowledge about life had to be. But was it truly such a crime?

One way or the other, there was no more walking in circles, dodging the topic. She took a deep breath.

“We don’t need to wait until we get back home. The person I am in love with, is lying right here next to me.”

Silence, as heavy as a mourner’s veil, filled the space between them. Mercedes felt as if she’d committed the worst mistake of her life. She wondered- would it be too late to take it back, pass it off as a joke, perhaps?

She heard Dedue take in a sharp intake of breath as if to speak, and braced for the worst.

“That is quite fortunate.” He said softly. “It would seem our interests line up more than one might suspect.”

… _Wait. What?_

“…Dedue?” She murmured, but she couldn’t hear her own voice over the thumping of her heart in her ears. Had she gone deaf, or was she perhaps hallucinating this?

“Are you surprised?” Dedue sounded way more collected than she felt. “I admit it is perhaps quite improper for someone like me to harbour such feelings for a woman of your- Mercedes?”

She had abandoned all logic aside, and had crawled out of her beddings to lean next to Dedue. She could feel his breath, warm and fast-paced, tickling her face. They were so close. If only she dared to, she could kiss him.

And that was exactly what he did.

After a few moments of surprise, he pulled her close. Strong arms wrapped around her, callused fingers threading through her short-cropped hair. His lips parted slightly against hers, and she let out a small, surprised sound. It was the most wonderful feeling she’d ever experienced; being held and kissed by the one she truly loved, and so gently, as if she were a porcelain doll.

She knew then, that she wouldn’t trade this for anything. She would not allow her father to throw her to some stranger’s cold arms, to someone whose embrace would not feel like home in the way Dedue’s did. Let lord Bartels throw as many of his tantrums as he wished; she did not owe him her life, nor her heart. She owed that only to Dedue, who had loved her despite the odds, and who had let her love him back. Who treated her as a person, and not as a walking sack of gold nor as a living embodiment of her Crest.

Their lips parted after a few fervent minutes, when both of them were in dire need of oxygen. They didn’t move away from each other, however. Mercedes fumbled for her blankets, and threw them over both their bodies.

“Never again,” she started “say that it is improper for you to love someone, my Dedue. Your heart is golden. I wouldn’t trade your love for all the wealth or power in the world.”

She couldn’t see him, but somehow she could tell he was smiling; perhaps for the first time after the war.

“If that is what you think, then I will carry my love for you with honour. To be loved by you, is the greatest blessing any god could bestow upon me.”

Mercedes’ face burned. She could hardly believe what had transpired. Never in her wildest dreams would this have unfolded as it did.

And yet, it had. Life had given her a chance, and she would not waste it.

“Let us stay together, alright?” She said softly. “No one will take this love from us.”

“Yes, Mercedes, I swear it. No one.”


End file.
